Windmill.



S. POPE.

'Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

3 SEEETS-SEEBT 1.

W. S. POPE. WINDMILL. APPLICATION PILED D30. 31,

PatentedApr. 13, 1909.

3 SHBITSSEBET 2.

ru: NDRRIS PEIERs a. vu

W. S. POPE.

WINDMILL. APPLICATION IILBD D30. 31, 1907.

Patnted Apr. 13,1909.

UNITED sracrns PATENT onnron.

WILLIAM S. POPE, OF SUFFOLK, VIRGINIA.

WINDMILL.

Ta all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, W'ILLIAM S. POPE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sulfolk, in the county 0f Nansemond and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Windmills, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention consists of certain new and useful improvements in Wind mille.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a wind mill in which the currents of air are first conveyed to a central chamber, and from said central chamber conveyed to an 11 per chamber, the exit ends of which each ave a wind Wheel 1nounted therein on suitable shafting, the said wind wheels being s0 arranged whereby the rush of air currents from the upper chamber Will cause them to revolve, and through the mediurn of their shaft and a shaft extending through the central chamber, produce a power that may be used for various purposes.

Another object is to provide a housing di- Vided into compartments having communication with a central air conveying chamber, the said central chamber being provided with means that Will prevent the admission of air currents thereto 1"rom directions othor than that in which the said air currents are moving.

Another object is to provide a salety device for said central air conveying cha1nber which Will prevent the air pressure within said chamber becoming too great.

Another object is to provide a central air chamber with a plurality o:l doors, the said doors being mounted at the end of each of the compartments in suitable outwardly swinging 'frames and being adapted to be opened by the pressure of the air which has been conveyed to them through the said compai*tments.

. Another object is to so arrange the housing whereby a stationary cylindrical structurc is formed, the said structure comprising a central air conveying chamber, a plurality of partition Walls radiating therel'rom, the said walls being spaced apart to provide a Plurality of com artments, and doors m ounted in outward y swinging spring hinged frames in said central chamber and located at the junction of the compartments and the said chamber.

Another object is to 50 arrange the radiating walls whereby there Will be formed com partments pointing in all directions, so that Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 31, 1907.

Patented April 13, 1909.

Serial No. 408,822.

the invention comprises certain details 01' construction and combination ol' parts set forth in detail in the following description, pointed out in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference reier to corresponding parts, and in which I have illus trated a prei'erred embodiment of my inven tion-Figure 1 is a perspective view ol' the windmill. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the housing and upper chamber. Fig. 3 is a detail view 01' the central air conveying chamber, showing the prel'erred means for mounting the partition walls. Fig. 4 is a detail view ol one of the doors 01' the central air chamber, showing its n1ounting within the spring-hinged Trame. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a building showing the invention a plied thereto to act as a ventilator as wel as a power producing medium.

Referring to the drawin s 8 designates a skeleton l'rame, which may%e of the usual or any prelerred ty e, provided with the upper platlor1n 9 and ase 10. Upon said upper platl'orm 9 a vertically arranged housing is rigidly sccured, said housing being designatcd in its entirety by the numeral 1L Said housing 11 comprises a central, vcrtically a1- rangcd cylindrical air conveying chamber 12, lron1 which radiate a plurality of partition walls 13, said walls being spaced apart to form compartments 14. The said walls 13 may be of either wood or metal and are in the form ol fiat strips vertically arranged and are so disposed relatively that the distance between their outer ends is greater than the distance between their inner ends where they are connected to the central air chamber 12. At the junction ol each of the compartments with the central air chamber 12, the said central air chamber is provided with an inwardly opening door 15, mounted on spring hinges 16, in a frame 16 that is mounted on spring hinges 16 arranged to open outwardly, or in a direction opposite to the opening movement of the said doors.

A horizontally disposed upper chamber 17 is provided with a central depending tube portion 18, which is of smaller diameter than the upper end of the central air chamber 12, into which itis placed, and is held therein by means et a ring or collar 19, carried by the upper and of the central cylinder 12.

Within the upper chamber 17 and adjacent to each end thereot, are arranged suit able rests 21, which support bearings 22 for a horizontal shatt 23. Said shalt is extended through its bearings 22 and upon eaoh end thereot a windwheel 24 is mounto d. The arrangement ot said windwheels 24 relative to the ends et chamber 17 is such that said windwheels are just within the ends thereot and are ot a size to ermit ot their tree rotation therein. A beve ed gear Wheel 25 is mounted tast on said shatt 23, in a position directly over the vertical tube portion 18 ot the chamber 17 and a complemental bevel gear 26 mounted on the upper end ot a vertical shatt 27, is in a 3osition to mesh with said bevel gear 17. T e said vertical shatt 27 extends down through the tube portion 18, through the vertical central air chamber 12, to the base et the skeleton supporting trame S, bearings being interposed at intervals in said skeleton trame for the purpose ot redncing friction. The lower portion ot said shatt 27 is provided with a gear wheel or the like, 29, which may engage with another gear wheel 30 carried by a shatt 31, to which power is to be applied.

A root or covering 33 is carried by the upper chamber 17, the ends thereot being projected beyond the said upper chamber and provided with depending end portions 33 Which are disposed a slight distance ahead et the end openings et said ohamber. The said end portions 33 serve the important purpose ot preventing exterior currents et air trom operating against the windwheels 24 and intertering with the action on said windwheeis ot the blast ot air which finds egress through the chamber 17. It Will also be manitest that the root or covering 33 as a whole excludes rain trom the working parts of the windmill and in that way prolongs the usetulness ot said parts.

The operation ot the windmill is as tollowszIt is understood that the housing is held immovably on the platlorm 9, and that trom the central vertically arranged air conveying chamber, compartments 14 radiate in all directions. It Will theretore be seen that no matter what direction the air currents are moving, they Will be caught by some ot the said compartments and thereby guided to the doors at the ends thereot. OWing to the tapering formation et said compartments, it Will be seen that the pressure et the air at the inner ends et the compartments Will be considerably greater than at their outer ends, which pressure Will be sufiicient to cause the opening ot the doors in the central air chamber, to admit the air into said chamber. As the amount et air in said cen tral chamber increases, it Will be torced up ward and into the upper horizontal chamber 17 and out through the windwheels 24, the rush ot said air through the said windwheels causing them to revolve, Which rotary move ment is communicated to the horizontal shatt 2?, and, through the gear wheels 25 and 26, to the vertical shatt 27, and trom said shatt 27 to the lower horizontal shatt 31, through the 1nedium et the gears 29 and 30.

Et Wiil be understood that by means of the spring hinges ot the doors, said doors Wiil he normally retained in their closed position, only cpening when the pressure ot the air brought against them is sufiicient to overcome the tension et the springs et the hinges. And it Will ne turther understood that these doors 15 are arranged entirely around the central chamher 12, and that theretore no matter through which one ot the doors the air is entering, there Will he a corresponding door at the opposite side et the chamb er that Will ho kept closed, through the medium et the sp ing hinges which Will le e assisted by the contact et the in-rushing air thereagainst.

Bv reterence t0 Fig. 4 ot the drawings, it Wiil hc seen that each et the doors 15 is mounted in a trame 16*, which is hinged to the central chaml7er. Both said doors and trames are mounted upon springs hinges, arranged to permit ot the doors and trames heing swung in opposite directions. This torm ot mounting of the doors and trames constitutes the satety teature et the invention, the operation ot which is as tollows- The hinges 16 ot the trame are arranged to have an opposite movement to that of the hinges ot the doors, and said hinges 16 are ot sutficient strength to normally retain said trame in a position to receive the doors when they are in their closed position. But when the pressure of the air within the chamher is ahove the normal, such tor instance as during heavy storms, the pressure exerted against said trames Will he such as to cause them to swing outwardly, and permit the excess et air to escape.

In Fig. et the accompanying drawings I have iilustrated a preterred torm et connection lzetween the partition walls 13 and the central air chamber 12. By reterencc to said figure it Will te seen that the spaces which torm the doorways are provided l y first slitting the mctal and then oending outwardly each side ot the slit to torm fianges 32, to each of which one ot said walls are riveted. Thc hinges ot the door trames are attached to the innor part of the central chamher, and are'soarranged that the door trames and doors will ne in a position to completcly close the openings tormed by the removal ot the slitted portions. By this torm ot connection, it Will he seen that a strong and durable connection is made, and it Will te turther understood that the attaching flanges can he made in said chamher at the time the chamb er is being manufacturer].

Whil this form of connection is one that has been found to be practicable and serviceable, I do not wish to be limited thereto, as other, or preferred, attaching means may be used without departing from the spirit of my invention.

T0 provide for a reinlorcement of the outer ends of the partitions, metal bauds or hoops 33 are placed around said ends and secnred to each end in any suital le or preferred manner.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings I have illustrated my invention as applied for ventilating purposes as well as for providing power. B v reference to said figure it will lie seen that the housing 11 is mounted on the top et a building 34 into which a pipe 35 carried ny the lower portion of the central cha1nlver 12 extends. The shaft 27 is oxtended down into said building and is connected with a power shaft 36, which may ce employed for running light machinerv of any description. In this form of the invention it will l70 seen that the rush of air through the central chamber and out through the windwheels at the ends of the upper horizontal ehamber, in addition to causing the rotation of the windwheels and through its shaft and conneeting shaftings, produce a power, will also cause a suction having an upward trend to be formed in the central chamber 12, the force of which is imparted within the pipe 35 and through said pipe 35 to the room, thereby drawing air from all parts of said roo1n to said pipe and through it and the central air chamber and upper horizontal chan1lver, to the outside atmosphere.

I clai1n as my invention l. A windmill having an air chamber provided With means for admitting air, means for conduoting air fron1 said chamber and terminating in a horizontally-disposed outlet for the air, power producing in eans 1nounted in said air-conducting means to lie actuated by the passage of air through said outlet, and a covering arranged above the said outlet and having a depemling portion located in front of and. separated by an intervening space from the outlet.

2. A windmill eomprising a stationary -housin rovided with an air charnlrer means for conveying air to said chamber, a horizontally disposed chamber having open ends, positioned above the first named chamher and in communication therewith, power producing 1neans arranged within the upper chamber, and a covering carried by the up par chamber extending across the open ends thereof.

3. A windmill comprising an air chan1l)er having a horizontallydisposed inlet for air, a spring mounted trame at said inlet to swing outward, a spring mounted door in said trame to swing inward, means for conducting air fro1n said cha1nlrer, and power producing means mounted in said conducting means to ne actuated by the. passage et air trom said chamber.

4. A windnrill comprising an air chaml er having a horizontallylisposed inlet for air, a spring monnted trame at said inlet t0 swing outward, a spring mounted door in said trame to swing inward, a chaml1er disposed al ove and connnnnicating with the first nan1ed cl1a1nrer and having a horizontallydisposod outlct for air, powcr proclncing means mounted in the second na1ned chamlrer te le actuated l v the passage et air through said outlet, and a covering arranged alove the said ontlet and having a depend ing portion located in front et and separated by an intervening space from the outlet.

5. A wind1nill comprising a stationary air chamlter, compartrnents radiating therefrom, a spring mounted frame at the jnnc tien of each compartn1ent to swing outward, a spring monnted door in the frame to swing inward, a ehamber disposed above and coni- 1nunicating with the firstna1ned chamber and having horizontally disposed ontlets or open ends, power producing 1neans arranged within the upper chan1l6l, and a covering carried by the upper chambor and extending aeross the open ends thereof.

6. A wind1nill comprising a stationary air cha1nlv or, compartments radiating therelrom, a spring mounted trame at the jnnction ol each compartment to swing outward, a spring monnted door in the frame to swing inward, a cl1a1nber disposed above and comnmnicating with the first-named chamlzer and having horizontally disposed ontlets or open ends, power producing means arranged within the upper chamber, a covering carried by the upper cha1nltei and extending across the open ends thereot, a building supportin the stationary air chamber, a conduit for air rrotween said ail chanilier and the interior ol the building, and a driving connection extending through said conduit and l(% tween the power producing means and the interior of the bui.ding.

7. A windmill comprising a stationary air Cl1zUlll.0l, compartments radiating theretron1, a sp1ing mounted trame at the junction of each compartrnent to swing outwardly, a spring mounted door in the frame to swing inwardl:g and a power producing 1neans carried by the chamber.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM S. POPE.

Witnesses E. W. JORDAN, F. W. LLOYD. 

